礼贤下士 — “To treat virtuous and talented people with courtesy and respect”
礼贤下士 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to treat virtuous and talented people with courtesy and respect”. To humble oneself to seek out and associate with the wise and capable. Literally, “Treat the worthy with courtesy, humble oneself to scholars”.
礼贤下士 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 礼lǐ
- 贤xián
- 下xià
- 士shì
礼贤下士 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 礼贤下士
Origin and Story of 礼贤下士
During the Tang Dynasty, Li Mian rose from a local official to a prime minister. He was never arrogant, treating others with great sincerity and politeness.
He discovered that the county magistrate was upright and capable, so he promoted him to be the county magistrate of Nanzheng. He also found Li Xun and Zhang Can to be very talented and invited them to serve as officials.
Not long after, they passed away, and Li Mian greatly missed them. People praised him as a paragon of 'lǐ xián xià shì' (treating worthy and talented people with respect).
Idioms Related to 礼贤下士
Synonyms of 礼贤下士
Antonyms of 礼贤下士
More idioms starting with 礼
- lǐ礼bù不qīn亲shòu授Etiquette forbids direct physical exchange between sexes
- lǐ礼wéi为qíng情mào貌Etiquette reflects inner feelings
- lǐ礼yì义lián廉chǐ耻propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame
- lǐ礼zhī之yòng用，，hé和wèi为guì贵Harmony is paramount in the use of rites
- lǐ礼yuè乐bēng崩huài坏social order and ethical norms collapse
- lǐ礼yí仪zhī之bāng邦Land of rites and courtesy
- lǐ礼xiān先yī一fàn饭Slightly senior in etiquette or first to show courtesy
- lǐ礼xiān先yī壹fàn饭be slightly more senior in etiquette
- lǐ礼huài坏yuè乐bēng崩Social order collapses, moral principles lost
- lǐ礼huài坏lè乐quē缺social order and morality in disarray
- lǐ礼shì士qīn亲xián贤respect scholars and cherish the virtuous
- lǐ礼duō多rén人bù不guài怪Excessive politeness does no harm
Questions about 礼贤下士
- What does 礼贤下士 mean?
- 礼贤下士 (lǐ xián xià shì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to treat virtuous and talented people with courtesy and respect”.
- How do you pronounce 礼贤下士?
- 礼贤下士 is pronounced lǐ xián xià shì in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 礼贤下士 literally mean?
- Literally, 礼贤下士 means “Treat the worthy with courtesy, humble oneself to scholars”. It is used to mean “to treat virtuous and talented people with courtesy and respect”.
- Where does 礼贤下士 come from?
- 礼贤下士 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 礼贤下士?
- 对有才有德的人以礼相待，对一般有才能的人不计自己的身分去结交。